Cashiers
Receive and disburse money in establishments other than financial institutions. May use electronic scanners, cash registers, or related equipment. May process credit or debit card transactions and validate checks.
What it pays
Cashiers earn a median of $15.81/hr — about $33,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $11.79/hr; the top 10% earn $19.43/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Cashiers earn a median of $15.81/hr — about $33,000 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $11.79/hr; the top 10% earn $19.43/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Receive payment by cash, check, credit cards, vouchers, or automatic debits.
- Greet customers entering establishments.
- Issue receipts, refunds, credits, or change due to customers.
- Assist customers by providing information and resolving their complaints.
- Monitor checkout stations to ensure they have adequate cash available and are staffed appropriately.
- Establish or identify prices of goods, services, or admission, and tabulate bills, using calculators, cash registers, or optical price scanners.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Less than high school. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
You're around people constantly. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0.2% of cashiers are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused and take-charge.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
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- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
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- Real Estate Brokers
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
Quick questions
- How much does a cashier make?
- The median pay is $15.81 per hour — roughly $33,000 a year, with the real range running from about $11.79/hr (10th percentile) to $19.43/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a cashier?
- The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a cashier actually do all day?
- Receive payment by cash, check, credit cards, vouchers, or automatic debits. Greet customers entering establishments. Issue receipts, refunds, credits, or change due to customers.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.